


Guardians At The Gate

by Wyndewalker



Series: 5 Apocalypses Xander Never Faced [1]
Category: Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Pacific Rim (2013), Supernatural
Genre: Canon Compliant, Community: trope_bingo, F/M, M/M, Soul Bond, Trope Bingo Round 2, sorta - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-08-04
Updated: 2013-08-04
Packaged: 2017-12-22 11:03:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,353
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/912437
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Wyndewalker/pseuds/Wyndewalker
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Xander might not be much use fighting demons anymore but he could fight aliens.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Guardians At The Gate

**Author's Note:**

> So I sorta AU'd Pacific Rim but not. I'd totally planned for Xander to just be another Jaeger driver. He was not supposed to takeover the character of Marsal Pentecost. I do like the character of Mako but I really wanted Chuck and Raleigh to bond so... But otherwise this follows the movie plot with all that entails.

**Year 2019**

Marshal Alexander Harris stood at parade rest in front of the latest group of Ranger recruits. Eager men and women who wanted to fight against the aliens who kept invading their planet. Some were there for the glory; some for vengeance against the Kaiju; some because they simply felt it was their duty as citizens of Earth. None of them knew what they were truly getting into.

Xander still remembered the day the first Kaiju rose up out of the Pacific Ocean and hit San Francisco. He'd been in the Serengeti when suddenly Willow was there in his head just barely warning him before she transported him to England and the rest of the Scoobies. When he demanded to know what was going on he'd simply been pointed at the nearest TV and the devastation being shown on the news.

Those first couple of years had been hellish as Slayers were useless against the Kaiju and the demons that didn't flee the dimension were determined to turn Earth into their playground before the end. The Slayers were kept busy keeping the carnage down; at least from the enemy they could fight. Millions still died across the planet.

Then the Jaeger program was announced.

Xander might not be much use fighting demons anymore but he could fight aliens. Several Slayers volunteered as well but their enhanced strength and speed proved to be a problem. They frequently broke the equipment that tethered them to the Jaegers. Xander, however, proved to be the key to solving the link up issue. He was the only one capable of driving a Jaeger on his own without severely overtaxing his brain. His past possessions and the remnants they left behind allowed him to spread out the load in ways that other, normal humans could not.

Between his brain chemistry and the idea to connect and synchronize two drivers a workable solution was created.

There was a side-effect that no one anticipated. After their third synchronization the Jaeger drivers were irrevocably bound to each other by a mental tether that didn't disappear when they disconnected from the Drift and the Jaeger suits.

This was a new problem as some Rangers couldn't handle the constant mental contact; pushing them into mental breakdowns that affected both Rangers. A rotation system was put into place but this caused performance issues as unsuited Rangers were forced to work together. In the end rigorous psych evaluations were instituted as well as test synchs to ensure compatibility.

The Rangers who passed the evaluations, who found a suitable partner became known as Bonded. A strong stable set of Bonded Rangers were a deadly force against the alien Kaiju.

Xander was part of one of the first Bonded pairs. At this point they were the longest living and, despite no longer driving a Jaeger suit, they were the strongest.

So now they stood before these new recruits as leaders and legends. The awe he saw in their eyes made him feel old rather than doing anything for his ego. Perhaps because he knew less than half of them would make it to the final stages of training. Or maybe because of those who did form a Bond only a third would last longer than a year. It wasn't unlike working with Slayers and knowing their mortality rate.

_::Stop thinking about depressing shit, Xan, and give them the speech so we can hand the kiddies off to the trainers. The mess is serving my favorite pie today.::_

Xander let his lips twitch in the barest hint of a smile at his Bonded's mental voice. _::All pie is your favorite.::_

_::And I want some before it's all gone.::_

Taking a deep breath, Xander looked at the group of 30 Rangers who had the potential to become drivers and spoke. "Welcome to Jaeger training, ladies and gentlemen. I am Marshal Alexander Harris. The man prowling behind me is my Bonded, Marshal Dean Winchester.

"You will spend the next six months being trained and evaluated to determine if you are physically, mentally and emotionally capable of forming a Driver Bond. It is my duty to inform you that the average recruit class only produces 10 possible drivers. I say possible because once you graduate from basic training we still have to determine if you have a fully compatible match among the unBonded drivers. Bonding is permanent. There is no divorce. There is no being widowed. If your Bonded is not blood related they will be your spouse. What you know they know. What you feel they feel. And vice versa.

"Should you complete training and Bond you will be one of Earth's most elite warriors. You will be her last line of defense against the Kaiju scum. And your reward? You will never be alone again. You will have the complete and total acceptance of your Bonded. You will be a force to be reckoned with and we will send these monsters back to the Hell from which they came."

The roaring cheers of the men and women standing before him still surprised him despite it being the same reaction as every class before them to his speech. He ignored Dean's amusement while he waited for the cheers to die down. As soon as they did he turned to the head trainer who took a step forward.

"They're all yours, Trainer Yasumoro. Don't go easy on them."

"I never do, sir," Yasumoro gave him a toothy grin, saluting. Xander returned it then turned to leave, Dean falling into step with him.

_::Let's go get your pie.::_

_::I love me some pie.::_

Xander grinned.

************

**Six Years Later**

Xander glanced over at Dean as they were fitted into their connection suits. This was it. This would be the final battle. Just two Jaegers against at least two class 4 Kaijus and a possible third unknown. If they were lucky it would be another class 4. The way their luck ran it would be a class 5, something they'd never seen before.

_::We've talked about you and this pessimism bullshit.::_

_::This isn't pessimism. It's realism.::_ Xander shot back with a grin.

"How many apocalypses have we faced, Xan?" Dean said out loud causing the techs working on him to pause for a second before continuing their work. 

A rush of shared memories filled Xander's mind for a brief moment. All the times they had stood, individually and together, against someone trying to bring about the end of the world flashed through his thoughts. His grin widened. "Enough that we still argue what the proper plural of the word is."

"Exactly," Dean grinned pointing at him.

Xander shook his head fondly at Dean's antics. Their Bond still stunned him some days even after 11 years. Like the others in those early days it had been an accident but unlike so many others they had flourished in their Bond; filling the empty and broken places in each other in ways they'd never imagined possible.

"I swear if the words 'You complete me' even cross your thoughts I will give you an epic beat down, pending apocalypse or not, dude," Dean growled.

Xander might have taken him a little more seriously if their Bond wasn't filled with Dean's affection. Instead he gave him an exaggerated pout. "But, Dean, you do complete me."

"No. No chick flick moments."

"Really, children. Do I need to separate you?"

"Mara!" Dean beamed at the beautiful Australian woman as she and her Bonded, Herc Hansen, joined them. "When are you going to leave Crocodile Dundee for me and Xan?"

"Watch it, old man," Herc mock-growled. He had one arm in a sling while his other hand held Max's leash.

"Bite me, Croc. I'm only three years older than you."

"That's still three years," he retorted.

Mara and Xander rolled their eyes at the bickering men. Sighing, Mara looked Xander over, brushing imaginary dust from his shoulder. Her eyes were dark with concern. "You two shouldn't have to be doing this. We should be the ones driving Striker Eureka. The doctors..."

"Mara," Xander caught her hand. "Herc can't drive with his arm the way it is. And according to the doctors Dean and I should have died from the radiation exposure over five years ago. We'll be fine."

"What is it with men and believing they're indestructible?" She huffed but let the subject drop. "Are you sure the boys are ready? They've only Drifted twice. It's not enough for a full Bond."

"You saw them fight yesterday. They're ready. Plus once they were checked over by medical they insisted on Drifting again. Choi said they have one of the strongest Bonds he's ever seen. If he didn't know better he'd think they'd been Bonded years instead of hours. They'll be fine."

"Besides have you seen them today?" Dean broke in with a smirk. "They've both been sporting smug grins and a limp all morning. They've definitely Bonded."

"For God's sake, that's me son you're talking about, Winchester," Herc groaned. Mara just sighed. After knowing them for eight years she was well used to Dean's antics.

"Chuck and Raleigh will be fine. We trust them to have our back. I," Xander sighed. "Not to speak ill of the dead but I sometimes wonder if we did the right thing all those years ago letting Raleigh Bond with his brother. Yeah, they were Drift compatible and the psych evals put them as a good match but the fact he survived his brother's death and the loss of the Bond... Maybe I should have tried harder to get him to stay in the program. Chuck finished training barely a month after Raleigh left."

"Raleigh would never have accepted another Bond. Not then," Herc cut in. "I'm still surprised you got him to come back at all. Take the victories you can and let everything else sort itself out."

Dean gripped the back of Xander's neck, pushing comfort through their Bond. "Alright. Enough mush. We have a Kaiju portal to blow back to hell."

This got weak smiles from them all lightening the mood as Dean intended. Together they headed out to the Shatterdome where everyone else was waiting. They were met at the doors by Chuck and Raleigh in their own connection suits, surprise on their faces though they didn't say anything.

_::Smart kids,::_ Dean muttered in Xander's thoughts. _::If either of them had suggested we weren't up to this I would have punched them.::_

_::Which is probably why they didn't say anything.::_

Xander and Dean nodded to the young men but continued past them. The newly Bonded pair fell into step with Herc and Mara.

"Alright there, Da?" Chuck asked.

"Jus' fine, son," he replied gruffly.

Once in the main dome Xander and Dean slowly climbed the couple of steps onto the foot of one of the damaged Jaegers they were using for parts. They turned to face the assembled crowd though Dean held back a little. Xander was the better of them at speeches.

He took a moment, staring at the ground, to order his thoughts. When he looked up he let his gaze sweep over the crowd not letting his eyes linger on anyone too long. He took a deep breath. "I have spent the last 30 years of my life defending this planet from one enemy or another. Dean has been doing it even longer. We have faced insurmountable odds before and we have prevailed."

Xander paused, looking down as he swallowed, hand jiggling his helmet. 

"This is our planet." He looked up again, this time meeting people's eyes. 

"This is our home. We will not bow. We will not break. We _are_ the guardians at the gate and today we will shut that gate for good. Today... _WE ARE CANCELING THE APOCALYPSE!_ "

This time he wasn't surprised by the cheers and shouts. This time he let the sound fill his soul with hope.

_::Awesome speech, Xan. Now let's go kick some Kaiju ass.::_

Jumping down from their impromptu platform, Xander wasn't surprised to see Mara and Herc talking to Chuck and Raleigh as they made their way to Striker Eureka's Conn-pod. He was amused by the startled look on Raleigh's face when Mara hugged him after Chuck.

_::Kid hasn't had any family in too long.::_

_::No he hasn't,::_ Xander agreed. _::I wish we could promise they'll make it back from this.::_

Dean didn't respond, the flood of memories of fallen family and friends answer enough. Many were lost before the Kaiju arrived but others, Sam’s face came into focus for a moment, others were lost to the Kaiju. And Dean still hated the monsters as if it had happened yesterday. 

Stepping into the connection gear, Xander looked over at Dean. "For Sam." 

"For us all," Dean replied gruffly. 

********* 

The battle was not going in their favor. Two class 4 Kaijus and now a class 5. The biggest son of a bitch they'd ever encountered before. And now Newt and Gottlieb were telling them they needed to trick the portal into thinking they were Kaiju themselves. Gipsy Danger had taken out one of the 4's but was badly damaged. The other 4 and the 5 were homing in on Striker Eureka like they knew what they were planning. 

They had to change the plan. 

_::It's the only way,::_ Dean agreed starting the sequence to arm the nuke strapped to their back. 

_::It is.::_ Xander hit the intercom switch. "Raleigh, Chuck, listen to me. Brace yourselves. Gipsy is nuclear. She's our last hope. We're going to clear a path. Do you understand?" 

There was silence then, "It's been a pleasure serving with you, sirs." 

"Da did always say when you've got a shot, you take it. Good luck, sirs." 

"Thanks, boys. Countdown distance please, Choi." 

"Yes, sir. Five hundred meters. Four hundred meters. Three hundred meters. Two hundred meters, One hundred meters. Ninety. Eighty. Seventy." 

_::No greater gift has man.::_ Xander locked eyes with Dean. 

"Sixty." 

_::You and your country music,::_ Dean's lips quirked in a smile. _::Than to give his life for love.::_

"Fifty meters!" 

Dean pressed the detonator. 

The end 

**Author's Note:**

> This is posted in honor of my best friend's mother who passed away at 1am on Aug 4th. She fought to the end. May she have finally found peace.


End file.
